Volkswagen VS ???

[maca]

A mate got me wondering today; who's VW's main rival? (in the Holden VS Ford context)

Only one I could think of was Honda...

[WABIT]

smartcar

dom

[static1800]

You would have to break it down into model rivals.

Golf vs Corrolla and Mazda 3
Polo vs Mazda 2 and Honda Jazz?

[Golf Houso]

The first thing you have to do identify the market segments within the brand and then in the model variants.

I.e. Golf, Jetta, Passat, Polo, Tiguan, Eos, Toureg, T5, Crafter, Caddy

Then break down the model and compare generally on price, trim, engine, performance, size etc. E.g. golf

1.6L: mazda 3, rolla, megane, astra, focus, i30, cruze, civic
2.0L: ^
2.0L diesel: 3 diesel, focus diesel, megane diesel, i30
GT 1.4: ^ higher trims
GT diesel: Megane diesel + ^
GTI 3/5 door: WRX, XR5, Volvo V5, Astra turbo, R26 megane, Civic R
R32 3/5 door: WRX/STI, VXR, R26, etc.

So there really is no straight answer Maca :nana:

[bombsquad21]

People cross shop VW with Honda and Subaru. "generally speaking"

[peter-xll]

I know I'm generalising, but
Holden/Ford = Both Aussie (dumb) muscle cars
wouldn't that make VW's rival be Audi then? Even though very similar; both Euro...Other then that; i would have picked Subaru.

And although both Holden & Ford make more than just V8s, who really talks about 4cyl Barina/Fiesta rivalry on the track haha. Would be funny to flick to SBS on a Sunday morning and see them on the track though...The Mini Cooper racing I see occasionally is so cool!

[maca]

I know I'm generalising, but
Holden/Ford = Both Aussie (dumb) muscle cars
wouldn't that make VW's rival be Audi then? Even though very similar; both Euro...Other then that; i would have picked Subaru.

And although both Holden & Ford make more than just V8s, who really talks about 4cyl Barina/Fiesta rivalry on the track haha. Would be funny to flick to SBS on a Sunday morning and see them on the track though...The Mini Cooper racing I see occasionally is so cool!
I thought that as well, but then I realised it's all under the VAG nameplate so they couldn't really be rivals if they're from the same company...

I'm still thinking it's Honda or Subaru, but now that you mention the different class segments, it'd be too complicated to figure out a car for each individual class. I guess the reason Holden and Ford are so compatible is because they have a car to compare in every segment.

[anthony]

I would say main rivals must be Mazda,Honda,and Toyota...

[maca]

They are both awesome and saved!! Here's my old avatar if anyone wants it:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/07/Untitled-1.jpg

[WABIT]

BMW 1 series?

dom

[Manaz]

I know I'm generalising, but
Holden/Ford = Both Aussie (dumb) muscle cars

Yes, Falcons and Commodores aren't the most technically advanced cars in the world, but what you get (size, power, features) for $35k is pretty competitive, particularly when they're developed for such a small market (and thus have limited sale potential to recoup development costs).

Holden and Ford also sell cars other than the Commodore/Falcon - the Astra and Focus are genuinely good cars, and compete well against the Golf. The Fiesta is also a great car (Holden dropping the Corsa and replacing it with the Kalos was stupid, though the current revision is a much better car than the first).

Back on topic - You'd have to assume that VAG's natural competitors are BMW and Mercedes, since they're the primary manufacturers in the German market. Expand the scope to Europe, and you could count most of the car manufacturers from France, Italy and Sweden.

Outside of Europe, I'd agree with the notion that Honda and Subaru are probably the closest competitors (they're not significant in Europe, their market share is tiny over there).

[maca]

I guess that's what makes VW so exclusive - there's not much you can compare it to..

[Two Dogs]

Audi(A4), Skoda(Octavia WGN) and Alfa 159 (WGN M-jet).

For me a TDI that could carry stuff. Got a Caddy Maxi Life(wifes choice) best at doing the core duties plus Skoda couldn't sell me a 2.0 manual TDI, not one in the country.

For those who look at Alfa's have often looked at R36, 32 etc.

Two Dogs

P.S. I drive a 156 sedan

[maca]

Audi(A4), Skoda(Octavia WGN)

Can they really be compared when they're coming from the same household?